Minimally invasive and inexpensive, the gel repairs and regenerates cartilage, and also prevents osteoarthritis and eliminates the need for knee replacement.

The researchers had previously identified precursor cells within normal cartilage that can mature into new cartilage tissue. This was a surprising discovery because of the long-held assumption that cartilage is one of the few tissues in the body that cannot repair itself.
The team also identified molecular signaling factors that attract these precursor cells, known as chondrogenic progenitor cells (CPC), out of the surrounding healthy tissue into the damaged area and cause them to develop into new, normal cartilage.
One of the signals, called stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF1), acts like a homing beacon for the precursor cells.
In an experimental model of cartilage injury, the researchers loaded the custom-made hydrogel with SDF1 and injected it into holes punched into the model cartilage.
The precursor cells migrated toward the SDF1 signal and filled in the injury site. Subsequent application of a growth factor caused the cells to mature into normal cartilage that repaired the injury.
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The study appeared in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatology.
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